


under a starlit sky

by laehys



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Multi, Running Away, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys
Summary: Three days before his arranged marriage, Prince Jeno runs away from home with two boys by his side.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 172
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	under a starlit sky

**Author's Note:**

> once again, thank you a lot for the mods for organizing this <33

"You're sure, right?" Renjun asks.

" _Yes_ ," Jaemin replies quickly, his voice low.

Under the cover of the dark, it's almost impossible for anyone wandering the gardens or the ground floor to see the two boys getting close to the building. They carry no lights with them and, maybe for anyone else, it would be hard to navigate around without help — but Renjun and Jaemin are too used with their surroundings, their escapades having made them experts at finding secret passages and unused pathways, being sure of every step they take.

"Here, let me help you."

Jaemin bends down and helps to push Renjun up, groaning when Renjun steps over him in order to reach the open window above them. It takes Renjun almost no time to swing himself over and land inside the room as silently as ever.

Crouching down, he puts his hand outside the window and gives Jaemin a thumbs up, his eyes traveling across the entirety of the room to make sure nothing looked suspicious.

" _Is everything okay?_ " Jaemin asks, trying to keep his voice low but still loud enough for Renjun to hear.

Realizing that Jaemin couldn't see his thumbs up because of the darkness, Renjun huffs before quickly standing up and looking down, seeing Jaemin's silhouette in the same position as before.

"Fine! Give me a second!"

There are no candles lit up inside of the young prince's room, but Renjun is too familiar by now with the surroundings and where everything is, so he encounters no trouble in walking towards the young prince's bed. Everything is meticulously organized, nothing out of place with the tapestries hanging from the walls and shiny golden objects laying on different surfaces.

Renjun pulls from inside his robes a single purple flower, the petals open and with little specks of silver, and he places it over the prince's pillow, his fingers brushing over the flower for a second before he catches himself.

There's no time to lose there.

He barely gives a glance at his surroundings again before he's back at the window and swinging himself over.

"If you let me fall, I swear—" Renjun starts to threaten, voice wavering as he holds tight at the windowsill and takes a deep breath.

"I never let you fall before, so why would I do that now?" Jaemin says, cutting him off. "Just trust me and let go."

It's not his first time, but Renjun's still filled with apprehension before his fingers let go and he falls into Jaemin's arms. He wheezes and groans, jumping to the ground and patting down his robes, running his fingers through his hair. Jaemin only looks at him with a proud, cocky smile on his face.

"You can wipe that smile off, you only did what you had to," Renjun grumbles half-heartedly.

That only makes Jaemin's smile get bigger, but he hums and indulges Renjun, pressing his lips down together even though the corners are still quirked up and his eyes are scrunched up in delight.

"Shut up," Renjun says, rolling his eyes. "Now go do your duties before someone gets suspicious of your long break."

"I wasn't even saying anything," Jaemin replies, chuckling. He shakes his head but steps back, his hands wringing in a mix of excitement and nerves behind his back. "Don't be late, Renjunnie. I’ll be waiting for you close to the shed, okay?"

With the clouds in the way, the moon isn't able to provide much light for them, but it's enough for Renjun to send a heavy look in Jaemin's direction. "I won't be late," he says. "You know I won't."

👑

There’s no time for Jaemin to put his metal armor on and look presentable — he’s already too late. So he enters the dining hall only in his light leather armor, no sword on his hip and no shield on his back, but with his hair ruffled and face flushed from all the running he did.

Avoiding any eye-contact with other knights or his commander, Jaemin assumes his position close to the young prince’s back, quickly glancing around. Though the king and the queen are present, they’re too busy entertaining the other royal family to pay any attention to a single knight, so Jaemin rests assured he wouldn’t be facing any backlash because of his tardiness. He doesn’t plan on staying around to hear anything from his superiors, anyway.

The young prince is in a conversation with his older brother, but besides that, he stays quiet in his own place and doesn’t bother to answer any of the questions that are thrown on his way. _How are you feeling about the marriage, my prince?_ _Are the flower arrangements to your liking?_ They ask him, fake smiles on their faces as they try to grab the young prince’s attention. _How lucky you are to be marrying the princess! How lucky indeed!_

But the young prince doesn’t give them an answer, his head low as he continues to eat, speaking out just to excuse himself from the table and to go back to his own chambers even though the feast still happens.

When the young prince starts to walk away from the dining hall, Jaemin hurries to stay behind him too, together with the other knights that were tasked with his protection. They barely had left the hall when the prince turns and smiles politely in their direction.

“Thank you for your hard work,” he says, nodding his head slightly. “You’re all dismissed for the night.”

The knights bid him farewell before leaving, some going back to the dining hall while others retire to their quarters. Only prince Jeno’s personal guard stays by his side — an old knight who had served the family for ages, trusted to maintain the prince’s safety at any given moment.

“Goodnight, Jaemin,” Jeno says, tilting his head.

Dressed in his fine blue robes and with the light of torches on the wall creating shadows on his face, Jaemin is sure that Jeno’s one of the most beautiful men he’d ever seen before; he carried himself with a regal manner that told anyone around him that he was fit for the throne, but his heart was as kind as it could possibly be.

“Rest well, my prince.” Jaemin bows lowly just like a knight should do, avoiding Jeno’s gaze for a second, mindful of the old knight who watched his every move. When he lifts his gaze up, Jeno is smiling at him — always politely, always doing his duty —, but the glint in his eyes and the way he gently places his hand over the golden chain around his neck tells Jaemin a different story.

 _Are you ready?_ He asks by fiddling with the thin chain, fingers pulling it to the side before putting it inside his robes again, safely kept away from prying eyes. 

The corner of Jaemin’s lips quirk up and he scratches the base of his neck, tugging at the black cord woven into his leather armor, a token of love and self-sacrifice. _Yes._

👑

Jaemin had just turned around the corner when Donghyuck comes barreling in, hugging Jeno tight and almost making them both crash on the floor. The old knight only sighs and turns his face to the side.

“What—Donghyuck...?”

His old-time friend has always been wild and reckless, never turning away from a feast when drinks are still being delivered, so any kind of boisterous and loud Donghyuck isn’t anything new to Jeno — but this time he can’t smell the alcohol that usually would be lingering on him after a few hours of drinking and feasting.

Still, Donghyuck clings to his arm and babbles as if he was intoxicated, rambling about his archery lessons from earlier, about how the king’s hair was weird, about how there’s an itch on his lower back and he can’t scratch it right now.

“Are you going to your rooms, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck shakes his head, almost tripping on the end of his golden robes before he steadies himself, enlacing his arms with Jeno and walking together with him. Their rooms are in very different parts of the castle, but Jeno’s used by now to just indulge in Donghyuck’s ideas and listen to his ramblings.

This time, he isn’t doing it because he wants to gather some blackmail to use later or just to mess with Donghyuck; the light talk and the brief walk in the direction of Jeno’s chambers might look like something happy and typical on the surface, but Jeno could clearly feel the unsaid goodbyes and the need to have _one last moment_ before the end arrived.

This is Donghyuck’s way to let him go — and Jeno would do anything for his childhood friend, so he plays along with him, keeping an eye on the old knight and their surroundings.

“I’ll be going to the kitchens for… you know,” Donghyuck winks, smiling as he leans his head closer, “some late dinner.” He presses his lips together, but a small giggle still escapes him.

“You just came from a feast that is _still_ happening,” Jeno answers, raising an eyebrow. “You can just go back there to eat more.”

Donghyuck pats Jeno’s arms, tugging him close. “That’s just a little detail, my dear friend.”

The old knight walks behind them, his steps almost silent against the cold marble floor, but he whistles lowly to himself, the rhythm of a song that had played during the feast, and Donghyuck uses that opportunity to whisper as quietly as he can, “You guys are so fucking obvious… Jaemin even came _late_ ,” but then he changes topics as the whistling dies out and steps can be heard coming from somewhere ahead of them, Donghyuck adding in a louder voice, “do you want something from the kitchens? Some of the blueberry pie? _Oh_ —maybe a piece of the roasted pork? What about that, my prince?”

“No, thank you.”

“A pity. I’m going to have some and _then_ I’m going back to the feast to drink all the ale from your kingdom. And no one will be able to stop me.”

Jeno snorts, shaking his head slightly. “Good luck with that.”

Donghyuck grins wide, stopping in the middle of the hallway as soon as the sound of steps fades away and the whistling restarts. He pulls Jeno close for a quick hug, his grip tight and full of unsaid things.

“I love you,” he mumbles, lips barely moving against Jeno’s ear. “Send me letters as soon as you can, you hear me? Or I’m going to fucking hunt you down, Lee Jeno.” And then he steps back, walking away and lifting one hand to wave at him, his voice getting so loud it’s almost a yell, “Wish me luck in getting a kiss from the cook!”

“Weren’t you going to get some pie?” Jeno asks, chuckling.

“Practically the same thing!”

When Donghyuck leaves, the old knight murmurs something about “ _young boys these days_ ”, but Jeno pretends he doesn’t hear it. They continue walking until they arrive at his quarters, where Jeno nods towards the knight before placing five golden coins into his outstretched hand, entering his room all by himself and making sure to lock the door behind him.

Being completely alone was a privilege the royals didn’t have, but Jeno had his own tricks and knew how to play his cards. It’s a special night and there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore — he doesn’t have the time to fear.

Inside his room, nothing looks out of the ordinary besides the window he’d left open earlier and a single purple flower laying over his pillow. He can’t help but smile at the sight of that, his heart fluttering inside his chest.

👑

Jeno doesn’t sleep that night, waiting in silence and impatience for the right moment to act. They had carefully planned how everything would go, and even though Jeno would like nothing more than to just jump from his window and run through the gardens, holding Jaemin’s and Renjun’s hands in his, he knows the best thing he can do is to follow the plan.

So Jeno changes his clothes, stepping out of his fancy robes and taking off his jewelry, scrubbing his face away from any paint; he dresses in the dark outfit Renjun had thrown inside his room a few days ago, tugging at the lace strings to keep his pants up around his waist. It’s the simplest clothes he ever remembers using — there are no fancy colors, no gems or shiny things, nothing to indicate he could have even a single coin to his name.

And that’s exactly on what they’re counting with — lying and pretending to be someone he isn’t.

Packing a small bag and placing it on the floor right next to his bed, Jeno looks outside of the window and at the night sky. The music is loud and it echoes through the gardens still, but it’s just when the moon is low enough that Jeno moves, not even hesitating in throwing his bag outside of his window and letting it fall onto the grass.

On the top of his desk there’s a sealed letter that he grabs before unlocking and pushing the door open. Just like he expected, there’s no one outside. No guards or knights around, even though there’s a feast happening and too many strange people roaming the castle.

Having grown up in that place, Jeno navigates through the castle without fear of stumbling into someone — he knows all the hiding places, the doors that lead to a room that, at first, seems like there’s no way out, the hidden stairs that could bring him closer to his brother’s chambers.

Jeno knows there’s little chance of meeting his brother since he must still be at the feast and entertaining their guests, but he still feels a pang of disappointment in his chest when he opens the door and finds the room empty. He places his letter on the desk, the tip of his fingers brushing over the paper in an unsaid goodbye. He can just hope his brother can forgive him one day.

👑

“Calm down, Renjun,” Jaemin says, tightening the saddle on his horse. “He’s going to show up soon.”

There are a few torches lit up inside the stables, just enough for them to get everything ready, and though the skies are still dark and there’s no hint of a sunrise coming soon, Renjun nervously paces around, checking and double-checking everything he had brought.

It’s not in his nature to be so hesitating and worried, but it’s a _big_ thing they’re doing, and Renjun fears for everything the others could lose if they aren’t successful. He’s only a gardener who could rebuild his own life easily, but Jeno is a prince and Jaemin is a knight — they have a lot more to lose and should be stressed sick, but it looks like they’re the ones more at ease there.

“But what if—” Renjun stops himself, rubbing a hand over his face. “What if someone saw him? What if there’s—what if this isn’t a good idea—what if—”

Jaemin makes a disapproving noise, but before he can say anything, Jeno appears at the entrance, lips parted as he draws deep breaths in. “I’m here,” he wheezes out, “I’m _here_.”

There’s silence for a split second before Renjun takes a deep breath, relieved. Their things and provisions are all packed, the horses saddled and ready to go. Jaemin is the one to step forward and bring Jeno his horse.

“Where’s Shadowfax?” Jeno asks, petting the dark horse’s mane in front of him. The bag he’d thrown from his window is secured in place together with some of his things he’d been giving Jaemin throughout the week.

Renjun bites his own lip nervously before he speaks up, voice a little higher than normal. “You can’t ride him. People would recognize him and be on us quicker than we could ever imagine. But this one is a good one. He’s strong and resilient and he’ll do a good job.”

“I’m sure he will,” Jeno says. He looks around himself for a moment before a nervous smile forms on his lips, his eyes shining bright. “So I guess this is it, huh?”

“Yeah, this is it…” Jaemin echoes, voice wavering just a little bit. “Last chance to give up is now,” he jokes, but his eyes look carefully from Jeno to Renjun.

Renjun bites the inside of his cheek but he shakes his head at the same time that Jeno grins wide, uneasiness slipping out of him as excitement starts to grow and take over his body, clinging to his bones and running wildly through his veins. It’s the fuel and what he’s been missing since the marriage had been announced — the breath of fresh air he so much needed.

It’s a big and scary step, but Jeno has never been so sure before in his entire life. Throwing away everything he’d ever known would be an unthinkable thing a few weeks ago but, now, it has never felt _so right_. It’s as easy as breathing, as easy as when he said “yes” weeks ago when Renjun proposed in the middle of the night, right after Jeno had run away from his room and begged Jaemin to help him, tears running down his face as he tried to say “ _they’re going to make me marry her even if I say I don’t want to”_.

“I don’t want to give up,” Jeno says, using his right leg to help push him up and settle into the saddle, arranging the reins in front of him. The sky is still dark and the stars will be their guide for the next few hours. There’s no path ahead of him but the wildness outside of the castle walls, a big question mark filled with mystery, and the only certainty Jeno has is the company of the two people he trusted and cherished the most. “Let’s go see the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> [i'll add things here after reveals]


End file.
